EnergySage announced today that it has launched the country’s first Community Solar Marketplace™, which drastically simplifies how property owners and renters research and sign up for community solar by both aggregating the many available options in one place and standardizing project information. Now, interested consumers can locate and compare multiple community solar projects in their area with ease.
With states like California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Minnesota in the lead, dozens of other states are now in the process of enacting community solar legislation. This momentum has led to projections that community solar will be the fastest growing solar segment over the next several years, resulting in 1.8 gigawatts by 2020 according to GTM Research, compared to just 66 megawatts through the end of 2014.
“Until now, this fragmented industry was very difficult for consumers to navigate and for community solar providers to acquire customers in,” said Vikram Aggarwal, CEO and founder of EnergySage. “As the leading online marketplace for solar, we saw a clear need to streamline the search process between buyers and sellers, just as we’ve done for rooftop solar. We’re proud to be taking the lead in helping people who cannot or prefer not to install solar panels on their property find community solar projects near them.”
With leading community solar companies such as Arcadia Power, BlueWave, SunShare, and Syncarpha already signed on, EnergySage’s Community Solar Marketplace provides interested consumers with the ability to search for projects across 43 states plus the District of Columbia. People in states not currently covered by the Marketplace or outside of a project’s eligibility can still sign up to be notified of future community solar projects in their area. EnergySage is in discussions with nearly all community solar providers in the U.S. regarding their participation on the Marketplace. Clean Choice Energy is the latest solar provider to join and is in the process of listing its projects.
“EnergySage is helping to bring our inclusive Community Solar program to both renters and homeowners in all 50 states,” said Kiran Bhatraju, co-founder and CEO of Arcadia Power. “They have a proven track record of successfully helping consumers make informed solar decisions and a unique ability to convert solar shoppers into solar buyers. The EnergySage Community Solar Marketplace is a perfect channel to help facilitate the increasing demand for community solar across the country.”
Consumers interested in learning about the benefits of a Community Solar Marketplace can learn more on the EnergySage website. Qualified developers interested in listing their projects on the Community Solar Marketplace, or organizations interested in leveraging it as a free informational resource, should contact Tess O’Brien at EnergySage.com for further information.
News item from EnergySage